


Fakers

by swritings



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Pining, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-05-18 16:44:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14856453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swritings/pseuds/swritings
Summary: “I told my sister I have a boyfriend so she’d stop trying to set me up with people but now she’s coming to visit and I’m in too deep I need a fake boyfriend ASAP” au





	1. Chapter 1

Fuck!“ you cursed once you read the new message displayed on your phone. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

“What’s up?” Natasha asked from her position on the couch your outburst capturing her attention. It had become normal to have her slouching in your apartment especially after a long day at work. You had actually met her at work and after getting past her whole ‘intimidating act’ you’d become great friends. You bonded quickly over trash-talking your insufferable co-workers.

“My sister’s visiting.” Natasha raised an eyebrow knowing that wasn’t why you were freaking out. “And… I might have told her I have a boyfriend.”

Shit. You hadn’t planned for her to come visit you and figure out you had been lying to her, all you wanted was for her to get off your case and stop trying to set you up with new people. This had all backfired.  

“I don’t know what to do!” You flopped down on the couch next to Natasha staring at the phone screen desperately trying to think of any reason she couldn’t come visit you.

“Why don’t you just get a fake boyfriend? I mean, she’s only visiting for, how long, a weekend? She won’t figure out you’ve been lying and you get to pretend you actually have a love life,” she smirked.

“Hey!” You threw the nearest pillow at her that she easily grabbed. “I can’t do that. Besides where would I even find a 'fake boyfriend’, huh?”

“You could just ask Steve. I’m sure he’s willing to do it.”

You widened your eyes at her, “Are you crazy?”

“Oh, come on! You’ve been giving each other googly eyes for the better part of your friendship, it’s time you do something about it,” she raised an eyebrow at you knowing she was right.

You gave it some thought before ultimately giving in, “I’ll do it, but-” you ignored her cheer, “-only because I have no other choice.”

“You could tell your sister the truth,” she shrugged.

“You know I can’t do that.”

“Or maybe you just don’t want to,” she said laughing when you threw yet another pillow at her instead of reflecting over her words that perhaps held more truth to them than you wanted to admit.

“Just call him up,” she said before turning her attention back to the screen. You took your phone scrolling through your contacts as you made your way into the kitchen, hoping to get some sort of privacy before deathly humiliating yourself to your crush.

Steve was sweet and you had fallen for him easily, his personality capturing your attention and withholding it. It also didn’t help that he had a banging body but that was something you kept to yourself. Well, you kept everything to yourself not wanting anyone else to find out about it, this was your little secret. Although you had been flirting with him in the hopes of him noticing you and your advances, you still weren’t sure if he only saw it as friendly banter and you as a friend. The casual touching between you had spurred you but your confidence and courage only went as far and you were left wondering what he truly felt about you. Which was fine, you had no desire to know if he actually only saw you as a friend, that would hurt too much. Simply edging the lines of friendship was good, for now.

“Do you need help pressing the call button?” You could practically see the smirk on her lips as she yelled from the living room.

“Fuck off!” You could hear her laugh but ignored it as your heartbeat quickened as you finally pressed the button. You were actually doing it.

The phone rang for a few seconds before the voice you had come to like far too much answered. “Y/N, hey.” He sounded out of breath.

“Hi Steve, is this a bad time?” This was a bad idea. Why were you even doing this?

“No, no,” he hurried, “Just got done training when you called. What’s up?”

“Um, this is gonna sound really weird but just hear me out, please.”

“Uh, sure? Are you okay?” He sounded concerned which made your heart skip a beat.

“I’m fine. Well, sort of. I kinda need you to do me a favour…”

“Yeah?”

“Well, my sister’s visiting and I might have told her I have a boyfriend…”

You could hear him suck in a breath before answering, “You do?”

“No! No, no,” you assured him, “that’s kinda why I was calling… Do you- uh, will you…”

“Just spit out, Y/N,” he said chuckling slightly, feeling more relaxed after hearing you say that.

“Will you be my fake boyfriend?”

He was quiet for a moment and you immediately began rambling trying to fix this mess you had created. Damn Natasha and her foolish ideas, and damn you even more for listening.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to but I’ll repay you with my infamous pizza and some wine, you can even pick the film for the next movie night even though it’s my turn and I’ve waited for ages to finally get to watch something other than the action movies that you lov-”

“I’d love to,” he said softly stopping your nervous rambling.

“What? Really?” you questioned wondering if you had heard him correctly. There was no way he would actually agree to something so silly and stup-

“Yes. Listen, I can come over tonight and we can figure out the rest of the details together, sound good? Bucky just walked into the gym sporting massive hickeys and it’s my duty as his best friend to go tease him mercilessly.”

“Yeah,” you chuckled, “I’ll see you tonight,” you pressed the end button sliding down to rest your back against the counter, trying to calm your heart. That didn’t go too bad.

“Well, that wasn’t too hard, was it?” You let out a small squeak in surprise damning Natasha’s silent feet.

You glared at her, a new kind of adrenaline coursing through your body. “He agreed, for some reason, and he’s coming over tonight to discuss the details.”

“A date? Impressive work, Y/N,” she smirked once again, an expression you had come to hate.

“It’s not a date. He’s just helping his idiot friend who was dumb enough to lie to her sister.”

“Sure…” she nodded, “He’s just a friend.”

He was just a friend to your own frustration but it didn’t help that Natasha was rubbing it in your face all the time, even if she meant well. After this weekend, you were gonna have to move on, no use in wishing for something that would never happen. You just needed to survive one long weekend with Steve acting as your boyfriend, easy enough, right?

***

Steve came over as planned and you discussed the following weekend over the Chinese takeaway he brought with him.

“So, let me get this right, you lied to your sister to get her off your case?”

“Yes,” you sighed.

“And now she’s coming to visit?” you nodded, “That’s fucking hilarious,” he proceeded to laugh his ass off, a full belly laugh that made tears leak out his eyes.

“Glad you’re finding my misery hilarious,” you snarked but still couldn’t help but smile at his infectious laughter.

“Oh, come on, I’m helping you, aren’t I? I’m allowed to find it a little funny,” he nudged your shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah,” you rolled your eyes, “We do need to figure out our whole background, knowing my sister she’ll be full of questions and I can’t afford to slip up, that’ll mean double the teasing and humiliation.”

“Okay, so, how did we meet?”

“Let’s keep it as simple and as close to the truth as we can that way the possibility of us making a mistake is significantly lower. ”

“So, we met through our mutual friend, Natasha, and I was instantly smitten by you and asked you out on a date the following week,” he said mixing the truth with a hint of a lie.

“Yeah, sounds great.” It was getting harder not read into it, making his words mean something they didn’t and in turn making the heartbreak even more inevitable.

“We had a great first date and a few dates later, you asked me to be your girlfriend,” you added, trying to ignore the wanting feeling in your chest. This was all you had ever wanted but your dreams were not supposed to be, this was all for fun.

“So, this is a relatively new relationship which is great, she can’t really get suspicious if we don’t know everything about each other yet.”

“Exactly!” This was going to be alright, you would have no problem  _pretending_  to be in love with the man, hopefully, he could manage just as well.

The rest of the evening was spent watching a movie of his liking, that he made clear didn’t mean he was giving up on choosing at the next movie night, after finishing up making up the rest of your 'relationship’.

“So, I’ll see you on Saturday,” he hugged you farewell at the door once the movie was over, “-baby.”

You were sure he felt the shivers travelling down your spine as his smile ventured near a smirk.

“Y-yeah, see you,” you waved to him before cursing yourself for letting him get under your skin like that. This weekend was going to be the longest and hardest weekend of your life.

***

“Y/N!” your sister’s cheerful voice was heard just a moment before you felt the collision of her body trapping you in a tight hug. “I missed you! Feels like ages since we last saw each other.”

“That’s only because you chose to move to the bloody middle of nowhere with Ryan. Speaking of Ryan, how is he?”

You let go of Nina, leading her into your apartment as she began gushing about her fiancé. You were glad she had found her other half this early in life, someone who could reel in her wild side and make her happy. You knew this was also the reason that she wanted you to find a boyfriend, all she wanted was for you to be happy as well. Her methods for doing so, however, weren’t the best.

“He is great. We just bought the  _cutest_  new sofa, I’ll show you pictures of it later,” she carried her bags into the spare bedroom that you were happy to even own. Living alone in New York City was certainly not a cheap experience but you had snagged a nice job and were holding your own despite the odds stacked against you.

“But never mind us, tell me all about you- and that  _boyfriend_  of yours,” she wiggled her eyebrows once she reappeared in the kitchen, taking a seat at the island.

“Uh, there’s not much to say really, we met through a mutual friend and here we are,” you smiled uncomfortably hoping your sister wouldn’t call you out on your bullshit. “It’s still quite a new relationship.”

“Ugh, you definitely haven’t gotten better at telling stories,” she complained before grinning, “I’ll just wait until tomorrow and then grill him for all the good stuff.”  

Phew. You were sure you had just avoided the hardest conversation to be had yet, and although you weren’t spared, it certainly helped not having to answer her invasive questions on your own. It was a good thing you had a dinner planned with Steve tomorrow.

“Hey, I still haven’t seen a picture of the man who stole my sister’s heart,” she frowned at you, “He’s not like a 100 years older than you, right?

Ignoring her, you grabbed your phone finding the album you created with him in preparation for a time like now.

"Wow! He’s a looker! Nice catch, sis!” she exclaimed proudly flicking through the pictures. “Aw, this is cute,” she turned the phone in her hand showing you a picture of you and Steve together. It was a picture Natasha had taken of you after the two of you fell asleep together after a small get together at her place with drinks and movies. You were entangled together, Steve’s arm cradling you closer to him as you rested your head in the nook of his neck. It looked awfully domestic. It was the dream if you were honest with yourself.

She turned the phone again, ooh'ing and ah'ing every once in a while until she reached the end. “I’m proud, sis,” she smirked but her smile turned soft as she stood up to hug you, “I’m happy that you are happy. I can’t wait to meet the man who captured your heart tomorrow.”

Any doubts or wants to tell her this was a ruse disappeared at the twinkle of truth in her eyes. You couldn’t break her trust and make the illusion of you being happy disappear, not when you could see how much it meant to her.

“I can’t wait either.” Perhaps lying to yourself and pretending this was real for one weekend wouldn’t be too bad. “Now, come on, let’s go see what that show you keep raving about is like.”

***

“You look great, Y/N. I don’t understand why you’re so nervous, he would obviously think you look wonderful even if you were wearing a trash bag.”

You appreciated your sister’s attempt to calm your nerves but it only served as a reminder that Steve was not yours and had no obligation to think highly of you.

You also didn’t feel too comfortable in your fancy dress and high heels, something you seldom wore. You felt out of place but Steve had insisted on treating you both to a nice restaurant where a dress code was to be met or else they wouldn’t let you in. It was a good thing he had that fancy lawyer job or else this would be a costly experience. You still weren’t sure why he was going all for a simple lie but you definitely weren’t complaining.

Steve couldn’t escort the two of you as he had a late meeting but promised to meet you there instead and true to his word, he was standing in front of the restaurant when you arrived.

“Steve,” you alerted him to your presence and you could almost swear you saw his eyes brighten up but blamed it on the twinkle from the overhanging lamp. That was more likely than you being the reason.

“Wow, you look gorgeous,” he let out a breath as his gaze swept over you. You pressed a soft kiss to his cheek being careful not to leave a lipstick mark, his arm easily finding your waist. He turned his attention to your sister after pulling you close, “and you must be Nina, I’ve heard loads about you, all good, of course.” He was already charming his way into Nina’s heart you could tell by the size of her smile - and yours, too. He was a natural at this.

“It’s nice to meet you, Steve,” she shook his hand before the two of you followed him inside. Steve had cleaned up nice for this evening. He had really gone all out for a simple act to help a friend in need, but you weren’t complaining about seeing him in a nice blue suit. You always thought that colour suited him well, even going as far as to tell him so, something he’d apparently listened to.

“So, what is that you do, Steve?” Nina asked once you were seated at the table and digging into your meals.

“I work as a lawyer,” he answered politely, “We’re currently working on a huge case, so that does mean working a lot but it’s worth it in the end.”

“Lots of late nights?” she asked curiously, nodding as he confirmed it, “-and you can make it work anyway?”

This is what you meant by invasive questions. Your sister, as much as you loved her, didn’t always know when she was crossing the line.

“Yes,” you answered giving her a glare, hoping she understood it meant to back off. Steve was much more pleasant, “I’ve always got time for my best girl.”

She awed at his answer and revisited the whole relationship talk after she was satisfied with learning about his personal life. “So, Y/N didn’t give me much to work with when asked about your relationship - I’m hoping you’d tell me all the good stuff?”

He chuckled letting his hand rest gently on top of yours, caressing in a calming manner, somehow knowing you were out of your mind nervous about this part. “Ask away.”

“So, how did you meet?”

“We met through a mutual friend at a small housewarming party and I was just blown away by her, and knew I had to get to know her better after the evening was over. So I managed to get her number and asked her out on a date. Best decision of my life,” he smiled softly at you, giving your cheek a sweet kiss that left you blushing wildly.

“Aww, that is so cute! Where did you go on your first date?”

Shit! You hadn’t thought about that when sketching out your relationship. How could you have forgotten? This whole mission was over before it even had started.

While you were panicking, Steve began talking, calm as a cucumber, not even phased by the question. “I took her to this cute little café not too far away from my home and she wore this cute little skirt that twirled around her legs with every step,” he reminisced, “and then we went for a walk in a nearby park but we ended up having to run for shelter at my place after getting caught by the rain.” The two of them shared a laugh and you could see he had already won Nina over with his stories and sweet personality.

The story wasn’t even made up, which surprised you the most. It was from early in your friendship when you spotted each other at the same café and decided to eat together because anything else would have been rude, and before you knew it you had been together for a good few hours. Just as he said you were caught in the rain as you went to go your separate ways and he offered to let you stay for shelter at his apartment until it stopped pouring. By the time you reached his place, you both looked like drowned rats and the skirt you had worn was no longer twirling around your legs but rather sticking to your skin. How he’d even remembered you wore a skirt was beyond you.

“Yeah, perfect first date, right babe?” You leant into his side reminding yourself you had to act lovey-dovey to sell this. That wasn’t even the hard part, it was remembering after this weekend that everything had been pretend, that would be hard.

“Everything with you is perfect,” he kissed the top of your head to which your sister almost whined in cuteness at.

“Well, I better get you ladies home before it gets too late,” he paid for the bill, refusing your attempts to split it. Good thing he had a job with a nice salary.

The cab drive home was the quietest Nina had been this whole afternoon and you enjoyed just watching the passing streets while Steve’s hand was comfortably placed on your knee rubbing small circles.

“Why don’t you come inside and watch a movie with us?” Nina said, “It’s not that late yet.” She gave him her infamous puppy dog eyes, ones you found that not even he could resist.

“I’ll just go change into something more comfortable,” she said slipping her heels off on her way into her room. The two of you stood awkwardly for a few seconds before you decided to do something about it, not wanting this feeling to stay.

“I think I have some of your clothing from the last movie night that you forgot,” you grabbed his hand absentmindedly pulling him towards your bedroom, forgetting this casual touching wasn’t normal.

“Ah, I was right. A t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants for you, sir,” you joked bowing as you handed him the clothing you had found after digging through your closet.

“Thank you, miss,” he took your hand kissing the back of it softly, catching your eyes before stepping back with an awkward cough.

“Don’t look,” you warned him as you took a t-shirt and pair of shorts out for yourself before attempting to undress yourself to no avail. “Steve?” you called out sheepishly.

“I’m not looking!” he was quick to say.

“That’s not what I was gonna say,” you chuckled at his worried tone. You weren’t even doubting him for one second, he was too much of a gentleman to even do that. “Can you help me with the zipper?”

“Oh, sure…” he gulped quietly.

You turned around surprised to see him in only his sweatpants with his abs on full display but tried to play it off hoping he wouldn’t notice your staring. Even if you had seen him topless before the warm feeling pooling in your stomach was hard to ignore.

You turned around with a blush pointing at the difficult zipper before grabbing the front of your dress to prevent it slipping down once he had unzipped it.

His fingers grazed the back of your neck slightly as he began pulling the zipper down, your skin tingling with his every touch. The action felt way too intimate to do as just friends but you were afraid to say anything that would ruin it.

“There you go,” he said hoarsely stepping away to grab his abandoned shirt. “I’ll go wait in the living room.”

“Okay,” you finally said feeling as if you had just crossed another boundary in your friendship. As the door closed behind him you let your dress pool around your feet before putting on the large t-shirt and shorts. A quick deep breath and you were ready to go play your role again. Only one more day to go.

You found Nina perched on the love seat and Steve sprawled out on the couch as they discussed what movie to watch before finally coming to an agreement when she discovered he hadn’t seen every Harry Potter movie.

“Can you believe your boyfriend hasn’t seen Harry Potter, Y/N?” she exclaimed outraged once she saw your figure in the corner of the door. The sound of her calling him your boyfriend while he was in the room almost made your head spin with the many thoughts running through of how you wished he would actually smile at the sound of that title. How he would want to hear him be called yours.

“I can,” you rolled your eyes, forcing yourself back to reality, “He’s behind on most franchises - that’s why we have the monthly movie night, so he can get caught up on pop culture.”

“Hey! I have seen the first three,” Steve defended himself with a huff crossing his arms before beckoning you to join him on the couch, opening his arms in a silent invitation.

You joined him, falling into his arms and resting your head on his chest as his arm tightened around your waist with no hesitation, acting as if this was usual procedure for the two of you.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s just watch the movie, Malfoy.”

He humphed, slapping your stomach gently, “I am not Malfoy.”

“Whatever you say, babe,” you laughed grabbing his fingers and entwining them with yours.

***

You’re not sure when you fell asleep but judging by the sounds and the scraps of lines you could decipher from the TV it had been a good while but you weren’t in a rush to get up, though. You were snuggled up to Steve, having turned to on your side in your sleep, now facing away from the TV as his fingers drew random patterns on your back absentmindedly.

You were well on your way to dreamland again when Nina’s voice interrupted your passage.

“I’ve never seen her this happy before, I’m glad she found you,” she whispered trying her best not to disturb you even if it didn’t matter, but the thought was kind. You kept your eyes shut hoping to catch some more of the conversation.

“She’s the best thing in my life,” he told her looking down at you carefully.

“Do you love her?” she asked delicately. Nina had always been good at reading people and you weren’t sure if Steve was an extraordinarily good actor or if you should read more into her questions but you could feel your heartbeat pick up in anticipation of his answer.

“Yeah,” he said almost inaudibly, sighing into your hair, “I think I might.”

That was all you had ever wanted to hear but knowing deep down that it had to be a lie hurt you more than you cared to admit. You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to keep the tears from falling. He was only playing his part, when the weekend was over this whole act would be gone and your friend Steve would reappear. You had to remember this.

The quiet afterwards was too loud. You almost wanted to scream and ask if he was telling the truth but that would be foolish. Firstly, you would make your sister aware this had all been a ploy and secondly, you would make Steve aware of your hidden feelings that you intended to keep buried. No, you would have to keep pretending to stay asleep even if you were brimming with unanswered questions.

“I think I’ll bring her to bed before she gets a neck cramp from laying all weird,” he excused himself, probably finding the moment awkward. In a gentle but quick move, he grabbed your thighs and your back lifting you up from the couch and carrying you into the bedroom.

He placed you under the covers, tucking you in before pressing one soft lingering kiss on your forehead. He withdrew with a sigh, taking a moment to stare at you before he went to the door.

“Steve? Where are you going?” Your voice sounded drowsy and cracked with sleep but it did the job of making him stop. “Stay,” you patted the empty space next to you, “It’s not like we haven’t slept together before and if Nina’s sees you leaving she’ll be suspicious.” You were too tired to even notice the innuendo you had made or the bright blush on Steve’s cheeks as he slid in next to you.

“Night Steve,” you whispered softly absentmindedly snuggling up close to him, his body warming you up nicely.

***

“Morning,” your sister hummed over her cup of coffee as you entered the kitchen, hair messily falling in your face. “Loverboy left you a note,” she nodded her head towards the small piece of paper resting on the countertop.

That might explain why you had woken up all alone despite Steve having the whole weekend off and not being anywhere else in the apartment. You weren’t gonna lie that the thought of having scared him off crossed your mind.

 _Morning sweetheart_  
Sorry, I couldn’t stay for breakfast but I had to rush out for an important client but I’ll see you when I’m done. I’ll text you later.  
Miss you already!  
Steve x

“Aww, look at your little smile,” Nina gushed before continuing more seriously, “He’s a keeper that one, I hope you know that.”

You set the paper down taking the cup she offered, sipping slowly. “He’s also got a smashing body, hot damn!” she pretended to fan herself, “don’t think I didn’t see those arms or… that ass!”

While you knew your sister to be blunt, this was not expected and you sputtered slightly into your cup. “Nina!”

“Sorry, sorry,” she raised her hands in a defensive manner before adding with a smirk, “Just saying, though.”

You threw her a glare. “Okay, I’ll stop, but he does truly look at you like you’re the only thing that matters - and so do you too, by the way,” she smiled before sauntering out of the kitchen, none the wiser about how affected you would be by her words.

_******* _

_**Hey, just finished work. Where you at?** _

It was only a few hours later that he texted you. Steve’s insistence on playing the part of your fake boyfriend was quite impressive. Even when he could have lied and spent part of the weekend to himself, he still wanted to meet up with you and your sister.

**Out shopping, I think I’ve spent almost two hours in the same shop - Nina is so bad at making her mind up… Could go for a bite, though.**

_**Chelsea Market?** _

**Yes! We’re nearby, be there in 10.**

_**Great! See you soon, baby ;)** _

The whole pet name thing you had started with each other was already a bad idea and the winky smile was just the cherry on top. You were sure you had exceeded the normal amount of blushing in just the last 24 hours.

“Nina, let’s go! I promised Steve we’d meet him in 10 minutes to grab something to eat,” you yelled through the curtain separating her from the rest of the store.

“Did someone mention food? I’ll be out in two seconds, I’m fucking starving!”

True to her promise, she was out of there quicker than you could complain again, practically dragging you to the market moaning about her stomach grumbling. It was her own fault, though, using up all her energy to go through clothing rack after clothing rack without any real sustenance other than the coffee she drank this morning.

Chelsea Market was the perfect place to grab a bite to eat. It wasn’t too busy at the moment but with just the right amount of busy with people milling about casually. It was places like these that made you fall even more in love with New York.

“There he is,” Nina pointed, “Steve!”

Her call caught his attention and he turned with a dazzling smile that made your knees weak. “Took you long enough,” he joked slipping an arm around your waist whilst pressing a kiss to your cheek that fell close to your lips.

“Sorry, this one took forever getting here.”

“Don’t you even start,” you glared at her grabbing Steve’s hand to pull him inside, ignoring their laughter behind you.

You all took a seat at a café with the most incredible looking food. Your stomach even growled as the delicious smell reached you.

The food arrived quickly and you all dug in, sighing in content at finally getting to eat. As you ate, Steve told you what he could about the case before it was decided it was probably to change the subject before he said something that could get him in trouble. Nina gladly took the opportunity to speak and proceeded to talk your ears off. Even as you left the café to browse the shops, she was still talking.

“Ooh, is that an Anthropologie shop? I’ll be right back,” she sprinted off before either of you could even say anything.

“Guess it’s just you and me now,” Steve smiled swinging your intertwined hands back and forth.

“I guess so,” you smiled back. It was weird how normal it felt to be walking around hand in hand with him. “Let’s go in here.”

You took him into a thrift shop, both of you admiring the rows of clothing and the random stuff laying about. There were a few people roaming the shop, looking for their next coup. You and Steve, on the other hand, somehow had a knack for finding the weirdest objects such as a ridiculously small skirt, a top made of beads and bright yellow cowboy boots. You even managed to convinced Steve to put them on and got a few great pictures that would be perfect if he ever gave you trouble.

“What do you think about this one?” Steve held up a bright red hat, “fits my outfit, don’t you think?” He put it on giving you a silly smile.

“You look amazing,” you grinned picking up a hat yourself. “How about this one?” The black with white polka-dots bowler hat sat perched on top of your head, a few sizes too big hiding your eyesight.

He reached out, placing it correctly or as good as it could sit on your head, patting your cheek like you were a child, “There you go.”

You found a mirror, instantly erupting with laughter at how stupid you both looked. “We should become models,” he wheezed, hand slapping his chest as his head bounced backwards. That was your absolute favourite laugh, the one where he let go of all worries and was completely in the moment.

“Sorry,” a timid voice broke in making you stand up straight, you were probably disturbing the whole store with your antics. A small elderly woman stood behind you with a big smile on her face, “You remind me of my husband and me when we were younger. We were always joking around like that, too. You make a great couple,” she finished before walking off whistling.

You and Steve both stood still for a second trying to process what she had just said.

“Guess we’re playing the parts convincingly,” you said dropping your eyes to the ground. The bubble you had been living in had been broken by a well-meaning woman who instead of happiness had created confusion and misery.

“I guess,” he said, his face emotionless.

“We should probably go find Nina,” you said wanting to escape the awkward air the old woman had created. You set your hats down, his hand finding yours again but the grip didn’t feel as tight as it did before.

The rest of the day went by quickly and before you knew it was afternoon and Nina’s time to leave. Steve had gone home earlier to prepare for work the next day but said his goodbyes to Nina promising to not be a stranger and join you on your next trip back home. He was a good liar.

“I’m gonna miss you,” she said pulling you in for a close hug, “Don’t be a stranger! You should come visit us soon in the new house.”

“That would be nice,” you agreed. Although you had been fearing her visit, once she was here you realised just how much you had been missing her. It had been a nice brush of familiarity you subconsciously had been missing.

“Alright, well, I better get going if I want to catch the train. I’ll send you some pictures of everyone from the birthday party,” she said on her way out the door, “Bye!”

It was a short visit but it was your niece’s birthday tomorrow, an event your sister had promised to help with. That meant you had to cut her visit here short but she was only a phone call away as she reminded you. You sadly couldn’t join her back home due to work but you had called your niece to wish her a happy birthday and promised her that 'auntie Y/N’ would come see her as soon as you could.

You were gonna miss your sister but you now knew you had to prioritise going to see her more often rather than letting the city keep you busy. And if you were honest with yourself you were gonna miss having Steve around constantly and him acting in love with you.

***

“One pizza for you,” you said placing a plate in front of Steve who was positioned on your couch. Just as he was promised you had made your infamous pizza, poured wine into two glasses and let him pick the movie for your movie night.

“Thanks, babe,” he said absentmindedly not even noticing his casual use of a pet name that was no longer needed but you most certainly did. To your luck, your cheeks thankfully no longer flamed up but the butterflies in your stomach were still present.

“Hey, I just wanna say thank you for agreeing to do this,” you said after a moment.

“It was fun,” he commented still searching through Netflix, “Your sister was nice.”

“Glad you think so. She wasn’t actually that crazy with the questions which was a surprise,” you mulled, taking a sip. “Anyway, it was fun to be your 'fake girlfriend’ for the weekend.”

“Likewise,” he grinned leaning back satisfied with his movie choice, digging into the pizza with an almost sinful moan that made you clench your thighs together. “It’s not like we’d ever get together but doing this enabled me to brag about having you as a 'past girlfriend’,” he air-quoted giving you a lazy smile.

“Yeah,” you chuckled half-heartedly, his words a reminder that he would never fall for you. “It was fun but I definitely couldn’t wait until it was over.”

He gave you a toothy smile, a flash of something unknown in his eyes before quickly turning his attention to the TV, missing the hurt plastered on your face.

This was becoming embarrassing. It was time to move on. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is - the second part!! I'm not quite sure how many parts there are left but rest assured that their journey is not over yet haha x

The elegant handwriting on the envelope you held in your hand was enough to give away the surprise hidden inside. You knew your sister too well and you had been awaiting this day ever since she got engaged to Ryan.

_Nina Y/L/N & Ryan Hammond request your presence at the ceremony and celebration of their marriage..._

You quickly skimmed the rest of the letter before dialling your sister's number.

"Y/N!" she screamed the moment she took it, "Did you get my it?"

"Oh, I did," you said smirking, "Was very surprised, too."

"Oh, shut up! Just because I may have called a few times to get your help deciding the font, you can't complain."

"-And emailed  _and_  texted. I'm sure if you knew any other way to reach me you would have used it, too." you laughed at her little huff of indignance.

"You are one of my bridesmaids," she shot back. She had originally planned for you to be her maid of honour but your working schedule simply wouldn't allow you to do it. Besides, you knew how much your cousin Ava dreamed of it and that she would appreciate the role much more. She had literally made you spend hours as children pretending to plan a wedding where she planned all the details such as the bachelorette party and the reception. She was perfect for the job.

"So, you are bringing Steve, right? I already told mom all about him and she can't wait to meet him!" She told you and you were glad she wasn't here to watch your face drop at the sound of Steve.

It was only a month later but you found yourself missing him more than you expected to. Even if it had all been for show, it was harder to convince your heart that and your plan to move on was put on hold. You allowed yourself to relish in the small moments when his hand would brush against yours reminding you of how he held it when you were out and about in the city and the movie nights where he sat just a bit too close and allowed you to feel the warmth radiating from his body once again reminding you of how close he held you that one night. It was hard to go back to simply being a friend and you had to stop yourself multiple times from grabbing his hand, kissing his cheek and doing things that would be classified as couple things and crossing the lines when all you were were friends.

And now the lie had caught up with you and you either had to bite the bullet and ask Steve once again or let your families know what a liar you were. Either one was undesirable. Although Steve had been kind after the entire ordeal and had let you know how lovely your sister was, you were sure he had found it weird. You couldn't possibly subject him to the same lie, and make it ten times worse. Your sister had gotten her nosy nature from your mother and you were sure that if you brought Steve with you back home, he would be subjected to even worse questions.

You could just tell them that you had broken up but before you could even say anything your sister said the worst imaginable thing. "Dad is even looking forward to it."

Your father was your everything and disappointing him was the only thing you would never be able to do. He had been your rock through your difficult moments growing up and after moving out to the city, he had told you many valuable things that made the move easier. The loneliness at first had been overwhelming as you attempted to fit in and he had been the voice of reason assuring you that everything would end up fine - and it did. You were happy he convinced you to continue chasing your dreams and not fall back on the safe and secure past you had lived. He knew you wanted more in life than the small town you had grown up in could ever give you. You would not end up disappointing him, especially if he was excited to meet your ' _boyfriend_ '.

"We'll be there!"

You had some serious convincing to do.

***

Or so you thought. Steve actually agreed much more readily than you imagined. You barely had to bring the concept of faking it up again before he was saying yes, despite not even knowing the context.

"He's so in love with you," Natasha deadpanned after listening to you describe the entire ordeal in detail. She came over after receiving a frantic text message from and had been perched on your couch watching you wander your living room in a panic.

"He's not," you denied though not as fiercely as you would have a month ago. The small flicker of hope in you made it impossible to do so.

"Y/N, you keep denying it but I guarantee you that by the end of this trip you will both have admitted your feelings and all I can say is-"

"- _I told you so_ ," you mocked her in a silly voice, "Yeah, yeah, like that would ever happen."

"Don't you dare doubt my psychic abilities," she winked patting the space next to her. "Now, come on. Let's watch some TV before deciding what you should pack for your trip. You know, perhaps you should consider packing that black little lace number you have hidden in your clos-" she was cut off by a pillow hitting her shoulder.

"Nat!" you glared at her.

"Sorry, sorry, but just imagine Steve's little face if you walk out in only a lace bra and thong," she was once again cut off by a pillow hitting her. 

" _Sorry!_ "

***

Had anyone told Steve that he would be given a second chance to play your boyfriend he would have laughed in their face. No, not just laughed but cried hysterically. He had been lucky that you had even considered him for the first time, a weekend he considered to be one of the best in his life. When you rung him up again, sheepish as ever, asking for another favour he instantly agreed. If this was the only way to ever be your boyfriend he would grab the chance and live it out fully.  

"Have you seen my blue shirt?" Steve yelled from his room scouring his room desperately. "Bucky?" He tried once more, not receiving an answer from his friend who was supposed to be here to calm him down, something he had forgotten the moment he had found a beer in the fridge and a football game on the TV.

"I've got it right here, pal. Take a breather," Bucky appeared at his doorway, the blue shirt in one hand and the half-full beer bottle in the other one. Steve grabbed the shirt quickly, laying it on his bed as he surveyed the clothes he had dug out.

"Do you think this is good enough?"

"Bud," Bucky stepped into the room patting Steve on the shoulder, "There's no need to be this nervous. I'm positive her family will like you and even if they don't Y/N will still like you. That girl adores you."

"Not in the way I want," he mumbled to himself but Bucky still heard him.

"You know," he took a seat at the bottom of Steve's bed motioning for him to join him, "If you ever work up the nerve to tell her how you feel, you'd be surprised by her answer."

"It wouldn't be surprising to get my heart broken, Buck."

"I've heard Nat say otherwise, and we all know how close they are," he gave him a pointed look, squeezing his shoulder in support before standing up. "Now, let's tackle this massive pile of clothing if you ever wanna leave this apartment."

***

The faithful day had come when Steve and you would be travelling down to meet your family and to say you were not a nervous wreck would be a lie. Somehow, Steve seemed even more nervous than you which actually calmed you down, knowing he was stepping into entirely unknown territory for you. Meeting your sister had been in a city he knew and he could navigate your apartment with familiarity. It had also been only one family member to fool, now he was supposed to convince your entire family of cousins, aunts, uncles and most importantly your mother and father. You had to be the one to keep your cool, at least on the outside.

"Hey, once again, thanks for doing this. I'm not sure what I'd do without you," you grabbed his hand squeezing it lightly once you were settled on the plane. Steve had given you the window seat, claiming ' _he already knew what the ground looked like_ ' but you were sure he was only giving it up since he knew you loved watching the clouds pass by.

"Anything for you," he smiled softly before settling into his seat, a pair of headphones in his ears. The plane ride to your parent's house would be long but it would be worth it. You hadn't seen your family in a long time, with the exception of Nina, and you missed them. This was a nice opportunity to get home and having Steve by your side didn't bother you at all, only the real reason why he actually was here did. You wished this was for real, and not just playing pretend, and that you were actually bringing him as your real boyfriend so he could meet your parents. But that wish would remain unspoken, if not to give it a slightly better chance of becoming true but also because that would destroy your friendship.

Hours later Steve was passed out, head resting on your shoulder as his fingers were tightly latched onto yours, something he had decided to do once he was out.

"Would you like something to drink, miss?" The stewardess whispered in an attempt not to wake Steve.

"Some water would be nice, thanks," you grabbed the glass, careful not to jostle your shoulder too much.

"Can I just say you are the cutest couple ever. We saw you guys laughing and smiling earlier and you better watch out for a proposal with those eyes he was giving you," she winked before moving her trolley down the floor to attend the next passenger's need.

You blinked a few times, sipping your water slowly as you attempted to even process her words. Proposal? Did you really act that much like a couple that other people, who weren't supposed to, took notice of it? It must just have been Steve's gentlemanly ways such as carrying your bag for you, that must have given them the impression. Surely, he didn't look at you like that. No reason to give it further thought.

The rest of the ride was pleasant and the stewardesses words were forgotten in the anticipation of seeing your family. After Steve woke up, you quizzed him on his knowledge of your family, making sure he knew all the small details such as your mother's love of gardening. He actually surprised you by how much he already seemed to know, you obviously spoke about them more than you knew. That was a pro, not a con, though.

"Y/N!" Your sister squealed the moment she saw you, running to meet you in the middle of the hall ignoring the other disgruntled passengers, she bumped into. You met her halfways, throwing your arms around her, laughing in delight, your suitcase left behind in your haste.

"You're getting married!"

"I know!" She said back hugging you back tightly before releasing you as a small cough was heard behind you.

"Steve!" She exclaimed once she saw the man approach with your suitcases in hand, "I'm so happy you could come." She pulled him in just as tight a hug. "Thank you for inviting me," he said politely, hugging her back with his free hand.

"Oh sorry, Steve. Let me take my suitcase," you held your hand out to take it and your bag hanging on his shoulder but he only let you take the suitcase and not the carry on bag you had also brought.  "No, let me be a good boyfriend," he winked at you and before you could retort Nina grabbed your attention again.

"Oh guys, this is Ryan," Nina wrapped an arm around the new presence, introducing her fiance to you, "and this is my sister Y/N and her boyfriend Steve."

"It's nice to finally meet you in person," you greeted him giving him a small hug.

"Yeah, it's nice to finally see your face and not the spotty picture on our facetime meetings. Our signal really sucks," he complained, "speaking of that we really need to get that checked out," he directed the last part to Nina.

"That's what you get for living out in the country," You quipped friendly, smirking at Nina's groan. "Alright, city girl with your 5G."

"It's nice to meet you, too man," Ryan greeted Steve with a handshake, ignoring you and Nina. You hoped the two of them would get along. From what you knew of Ryan he was a nice man who was seriously into his football, so you were sure there was something to bond on. Your boss was kind enough to get you two weeks leave, so you had some days with everyone to simply get to know them and catch up. Perhaps, they had something else in common you didn't know about, you were looking forward to getting to know Ryan even better, too. Facetime calls were a good supplement for real-life meetings but actually seeing him in person was definitely preferred.

"Well, we better get our butts moving if we wanna make it back before dark," Ryan said motioning for you to follow him to the car. Steve still holding your bag and his own plus a suitcase managed to free one hand and sneaked it into yours with a sweet smile as you followed the engaged couple.

It was only about half an hour drive to your parent's house where you would be staying and before you even set foot in the car you knew you were doomed. The promise you had made yourself about a month ago was sure to be broken if it hadn't already been. There was no use getting over Steve.

***

As the car ride went on, the town you grew up in came into view. You drove past the school where you'd spent a good part of your life, the place you made friends, crushes and experiences for life. You were lucky to have had a great high school experience with little to no trauma except for the cruel teachers and their unfair expectations. You drove past the park you snuck out into at night with your previous boyfriends to share a little late night smooch before finally seeing your childhood home.

The house looked exactly as it did when you left it to go pursue your dreams. It was the classic suburban two-story house with a garden on a street with several exact looking houses. It was home.

As you drove into the driveway, you could spot your mother in the kitchen, currently making dinner for you all. You were lucky you hadn't gotten home too late, otherwise, you would have missed out your mother's amazing cooking.

Ryan helped Steve bring the suitcases out the back before you all stepped inside where your mom and dad came rushing to after hearing the slam of the door. Nina and Ryan quickly moved past, into the living room not wanting to disturb the reunion.

"Hi sweetie," your mother smiled opening her arms. You hugged her tightly, relishing in the comfortable aura only your mother could exude before giving your dad an equally tight hug.

"It's good to see you, pumpkin," he smiled at you. "Now, who is this young man?"

"Mom. Dad. This is Steve, my boyfriend," you stepped back grabbing his hand in comfort, whether it was for your own or his, the squeeze he gave you let you know he appreciated it.

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," he shook your mother's hand and then you father's, "and you too, sir."

"Please, call us Mary and John. We're not that old-fashioned," your mother laughed setting Steve more at ease. "Y/N, you can go drop your bags off in your room and I'll call you down soon for dinner, okay?"

"Yeah, great," you responded grabbing your suitcase and motioning for Steve to follow you up the stairs. You let him into your old bedroom that thankfully wasn't that embarrassing. A couple of old posters hung on the walls of your celebrity crushes and other phases you went through. Other than that, your room was relatively safe. Your bed stood in the middle of the room, a desk underneath the window and a dresser to the side - a typical teenage bedroom.

"Nice room," Steve grinned eyes immediately catching the posters. "Spice Girls?"

"Yeah, that was the whole craze when I was young around these parts. NSYNC was also quite popular."

"Well,  _'if you wanna be my lover_ '," he whispered as he came close, your breath hitching, "then please tell me where to put these suitcases?"

"Uh... Oh, just put them in the corner," you responded after a second, your mind desperately trying to catch up.

"This is cute," he commented as he roamed your room looking at all the pictures that were hung on the wall.

"Oh no," you groaned, "I look awful in those pictures." You came up behind him, grimacing as you took in the pictures of your younger self.

"No, you look cute. I like that hairstyle," he smiled wrapping an arm around your shoulders. "Pig-tails suited you."

"Yeah, yeah. Just be happy I won't ever wear that again," you said frowning pointing out your choice of clothing. Bright pink and bright green was definitely not a pair that would ever become popular again.

"Come down and eat!" your mother's voice cut through thankfully interrupting this little blast into the past.

"Coming," you yelled back before grabbing Steve's hand and pulling him away from the pictures despite his protests. "You can inspect it later, big guy. Come on, we have a show to put on."

Your words rendered him into the nervous wreck he had been at his own apartment. "Hey, don't worry, they'll love you. My mom already does," you gave him a reassuring smile as you stopped him at the base of the stairs. You hesitated for a moment before pressing a soft kiss to his cheek telling yourself it was only for good luck.

"Are you gonna join us, lovebirds?" Your sister voice cut through interrupting the moment.

"We're coming!" you grunted joining them at the table. You were all soon immersed in enjoyable conversation as you dug into your mother's lovely food. Steve managed to show off his knowledge of your family as he talked to your mom about her gardening and gained some bonus point with your dad as they discovered their shared interest in football that Ryan also pitched in on excitedly. This was going a lot better than expected and the arm that rested on the back of your chair softly caressing your shoulder afterwards was a nice extra.

Steve got along great with both your parents and Ryan, the afternoon spent making jokes and sharing stories from your childhood. Some embarrassing but mostly fine for now, you were sure mom was saving some of her best for later but you were just happy she decided to lay it off for now.

"Well, we better get going," Nina said, chair screeching in protest as she slid it back on the hardwood floor. "We've got a long day tomorrow picking out cake flavours."

"Can't wait," Ryan added with a wiggle of his eyebrows, "Love me some cake."

"Alright, you two. Drive safely!" Your dad commented, a hand still on his wine glass not bothered to stand up to see them off at the door.

"Well, I suppose you two want to get to bed, as well. Let's hope the jet lag isn't too bad," your mom said shooing you away, not letting you help her clean the table. "We'll take care of this."

"Night pumpkin. Night Steve," you dad said kissing the top of your head before you left the room with Steve in tow.

"Your parents are sweet," he commented once you were in the comfort of your room.

"My mom wasn't actually that bad with the questions for once. My previous boyfriend have had them coming left and right but I suppose you are something special," you winked at him before returning your attention to your bag as you attempted to find your pyjamas.

Steve neglected to say anything, pink burning on his cheeks as he instead watched you. The evening hadn't gone that bad but he was still burning with embarrassment from accidentally stumbling over his words more than once while addressing your dad.

"Um, we've only got one bed but sharing a bed is nothing new for us, right?" you smiled awkwardly once the thought popped into your head.

As you got ready for bed, you switched from the bathroom to your room, almost like a choreographed dance and before you knew it the two of you were lying under the covers. Luckily your bed wasn't a twin size bed but it was still only a queen size bed and with Steve's large frame that meant lying close to each other.

Despite having shared a bed together before, somehow, this felt more intimate than the other times. This was in the bedroom you had grown up in, discovered who you were and snuck boyfriends into, and now you were lying here with Steve. Steve, who wasn't a boyfriend and only a friend, but still someone who you considered to be much more personally connected to you than any boyfriend had ever been.  

***

It took you a few minutes after waking before you decided or wanted to untangle yourself from Steve. He was spooning you from behind, arms wrapped around you tightly and even had one hand daringly under your top resting on your upper stomach.

But enough was enough. You were not supposed to lie here tormenting yourself. So, up you went, brushing your teeth in a hurry before slipping downstairs to cook breakfast for everyone. You were the first one up, something you appreciated. It gave you a moment to just let everything sink in.

"Morning pumpkin," your dad said as you were in the middle of putting the finished bacon on a plate. "That smells nice." His fingers darted out and snuck a piece of the plate before you could smack it away.

"Save some for the others," you glared at him before checking on the toast. Not burned, thankfully.  

"That Steve kid is nice," he said leaning up against a counter, watching you roam around the kitchen.

"Yeah?" you pretended to count the forks one more time nonchalantly, like was he was saying wasn't a big deal. Hearing your dad give his approvement of Steve was all you'd ever wanted. He hadn't been the happiest man about your past boyfriends, which you understood the moment they showed their true colours. How he knew before you if they were good baffled you but you now relied on his opinion when it came to dating. His approval of Steve only made you wish even more that this was real and not just for show.

"Yeah, he's a good kid. Real nice and loves you a lot, I can tell," he responded with a smile.

"Thanks, dad," you kissed his cheek grabbing the plates in the cabinet beside him to set the table, hoping he didn't see the frown on your face. You hated lying to him.  

It wasn't long after that both Steve and your mother joined you downstairs for a 'healthy' breakfast. Your dad kindly offered to clean up claiming he needed a bit of exercise after all the grease he had ingested in the last hour.

"You chose to eat it yourself," you quipped back at him.

"All right, you two," your mother cut in," I totally forgot to tell you but everyone is coming for a BBQ tonight, would you mind popping by the grocery store to grab some things?"

"Sure, gives me an excuse to show Steve the town," you agreed.

"-and show him off," your mother whispered with a wink. Your head swivelled round to see if Steve had heard which he thankfully had not as he was engaged in conversation with your dad. "Mom!" you warned her through clenched teeth.

"Hey, I don't blame you for wanting to. He's  _handsome_ ," she laughed at the glare in your eyes.

"Okay, we're leaving. Bye mom!" you gave her a pointed look, shoving a confused Steve outside. 

***

You drove around town pointing out places where you used to hang out, places that were supposedly haunted and told him funny stories about the occupants of the town before you ended up at the grocery store.

With his help, you quickly crossed off every item on his list filling the shopping cart to the brim with food. "We're nearly done if you can just go grab the ketchup for me," you gave the list a look over before scanning the cart deeming it ok as Steve crossed the aisles.

"Y/N?" an obnoxious voice nearly shouted from the end of the aisle. "Is that you?"

You lifted your head slowly wanting to prolong getting to see her. "Jennifer," you smiled fakely once she came into view, her blonde hair bouncing off her shoulders.

"Wow, I can't believe your back. It's  _so good_  to see you," she smiled widely giving you a small hug. You disliked Jennifer with all your might, hate would a strong word but it did come close to your relationship but you didn't want to give her the time of day. Jennifer had always tormented whenever she could, she stole boyfriends, spread rumours and so on, all because she was a jealous bitch. Which you knew now but back in your teenage days you'd spent years trying to figure out what went wrong between you two. Now, you knew it was all because of her and you were happy she was out of your life for good.

"I got the ketchup," Steve chose a great moment to interrupt setting the ketchup down in the cart. He saw how tense your shoulders were and wrapped an arm around them before greeting the woman in front of you.

"And who might you be?" Jennifer said tilting her head curiously, smiling sweetly.

"I'm Steve, Y/n's boyfriend," he introduced himself oblivious to her attempts to flirt with him.

"Oh. You're with her?" she raised her eyebrows turning her eyes on you, "You certainly caught someone way over your league. I'm impressed."

Ugh. What a  _shady_   _bitch_.

"Yeah, well we should be on our way. Got family waiting at home," you didn't even wait for her answer before turning and rolling the cart towards the till. She was not worth it.

"Bye Y/N and  _bye Steve_ ," you could hear her giggle and nearly gagged at the sound. You were close to hating her now.

The whole payment and bagging of the groceries were done in silence but once you were in the car, you knew he was bound to ask questions.

"Who was that?" he asked tentatively watching your knuckles tighten on the steering wheel.

"That was Jennifer. We're not good friends," you said neglecting to tell him about your past together. You didn't need to dig and bring up old skeletons.

"I gathered that," he rolled his eyes, "Did you go to school together?"

"Yes," you answered ignoring his eyes. "Can we talk about something else? I don't wanna get in a bad mood, not when we're having a BBQ tonight."

"Okay," he agreed his hand squeezing your knee gently to let you he was there whenever you needed, "So, who's coming tonight?"

"Mom said something about my aunt and uncle stopping. My nieces are coming, too - they are just the sweetest. Wait until you meet Luna, she'll make you wish you had kids yourself," you rambled on, not noticing the soft smile on Steve's face.

***

You were right about Luna. She did make him want to have kids. The one thing you had neglected to tell him though was how much he wanted it with you. Seeing you tumble around the grass, playing with all the kids made the feeling grow stronger. Every giggle and smile sent his way made his heart soar.

"Aren't they just the cutest?" Your mother said coming up to his side, sitting beside him on steps to the terrace.

"Yeah," he agreed, the two of them watching you get chased by a bunch of children shrieking in delight when they caught up to you.

"You know, I've never seen her as happy as she is with you. You make her world a little brighter every day. I hope you know that," she said softly, "Just don't go breaking her heart. I don't think I would be able to pick up the pieces from this heartbreak."

"I don't intend to ever do that, ma'am," he swore to her. He would rather die than ever be the cause of any sorrow you would ever feel. A bit dramatic, but still the truth. You brightened his days more than he could ever do to yours and to have you disappear from his life would be the worst imaginable thing. 

He would not be the reason for that to ever happen, despite the fact that breaking your heart was off the list. That would mean having it in the first place and getting the privilege to hold it in his hands. You held his, though, without even knowing it and he happily trusted you with it, despite knowing you held the power to break it into a thousand pieces. It would be worth it. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s finally here! The third and final installment of “Fakers” is finally done. I’m so sorry for the long wait but with school and everything I simply didn’t have the time. I’m glad you were so patient with me :)) Enjoy!

Today was the day. The day your sister would finally become Mrs Hammond, no longer sharing surnames with you. It was weird to even think about her getting married but observing her over the last few days with Ryan made everything clear. It was obvious that they were made for each other. It made your heart ache a little as you watched her dressed in her wedding dress, nerves shaking up her body. Would you ever get to experience this?

Would you wear a brilliant white dress that would compliment your skin colour, body full of nerves too? Would you calm yourself down knowing that outside the room your partner was waiting for you with a love so strong that you never needed to doubt them? Would your partner cry when he saw you for the first time, wipe at the corners of his eyes as he smiled, wondering how he managed to get you? Would he feel fulfilled, knees buckling as you were pronounced his wife? Would he hold you even closer during your first dance together, wishing he could stop time and cherish this moment forever?

Probably not. That meant you had to have someone to share that with and at the moment you couldn't be further from it. You had Steve but that was all pretend and that actually hurt even more than being single. You would get to pretend but at the end of the day, you were alone, haunted by your feelings for the man who didn't reciprocate. 

"One glass of champagne for you, dear" Steve appeared in front of you, interrupting your self-deprecating thoughts, with two glasses of champagne.

"Thanks," you nearly emptied the whole glass in one sip, ignoring Steve's widened eyes. You wanted to forget.  _Needed_  to forget. Forget this whole act. Forget how sinfully good Steve was looking tonight. Forget how it made you feel.

He was dressed in a simple grey suit but it was fitted perfectly to his body. The black shirt underneath giving it an air of sophistication. Just him moving his arms had the material stretched tightly against his biceps. His hair was parted like always, showcasing his ocean blue eyes perfectly. You could spend hours lost in them if you were allowed. Why was he so amazingly good-looking? It wasn't fair.

Steve opened his mouth to voice his concern but eventually decided to let it go. The movement only helped draw your eyes to his lips. The delightfully pink lips you wanted nothing more than to ravish. Just the image in your head of him with swollen lips, begging for you to kiss him again, was driving you crazy.

"Let's dance?" you grabbed his hand without waiting for an answer, hoping dancing would distract you from whatever road you were going down. Steve followed without protest, even if every bone in his body was screaming out for him to stop. He could not dance even if is life depended on it but you were asking and who was he to deny you?

You immediately lost yourself in the funky music playing, body moving to the beat and lips mouthing the words you knew. Steve attempted to follow your lead but it obvious that he felt uncomfortable. To his luck you hadn't noticed yet, seeing as your eyes had been closed since the moment you arrived at the dance floor. You looked gorgeous as you let yourself forget your worries and simply lived in the moment. Steve was so irrevocably in love with you that he was almost hurting himself by pretending this was real. But for just one more evening he could pretend that this was reality and that when he woke up tomorrow that you would still love him back. Hurting himself was worth it for a few hours of your reciprocated love.

"Oh," your voice brought him back from his trance. The music had changed to a slow ballad and Steve was about to leave the floor when your hands wrapped around his shoulders. You gave him a sheepish smile and his hands placed themselves on your waist without thought. You were so close that he could smell the sweet perfume you had sprayed on this morning. The scent driving him crazy. He was close enough that if he moved his head just a fraction, your lips would touch. He was so close yet so far.

You rested your head on Steve's shoulder as you swayed slightly from side to side. Eyes closed, you imagined a future where you and Steve were together. You would continue the movie nights, however, it would probably be paired with kisses and even more cuddles. You would wake up together, get to relish in his peaceful features for a few minutes every morning; just a few minutes for yourself where you could try to comprehend how lucky you were without success. A few minutes would never be enough. The thought of even getting to be with Steve would mean you were beyond lucky. It almost made you cry, thinking of when tomorrow came this illusion would shatter and you would be alone once again. You would be without Steve.

The last few days with him had been the best days of your life. He fit in perfectly with your family and the thought of your parents already adoring him made your heart ache. How were you going to tell them that you broke up? Especially your dad when he had been so distrustful of your past relationships, though with good reason, but now loved Steve? It gave you a headache even thinking about it.

"May I steal her for a dance?" Tony, a good family friend, cut in with a smile to which you agreed readily, needing a moment away from Steve to compose yourself.

Steve watched you get swept away and a flaring green spread inside as you laughed and stepped closer to the other man. He knew he was being ridiculous but he couldn't help it. He didn't want to see you in another man's arms, especially when he didn't know his intentions. But he also needed to remember that he didn't own you. You weren't even close to being his.

***

"So, how does it feel to be a married woman?"

Nina and you were sitting outside on the bench overlooking the gorgeous garden at the venue she had chosen. It truly was gorgeous with various flowers illuminating it with their many colours. The statues were almost lost in the wilderness but somehow it looked like it was supposed to be this way. Wild but composed.

In a way that's what you felt like with Steve. You were the wild one doing things that probably shouldn't be done - such as this whole fake relationship, and he was the composed one making sure you wouldn't get lost.  You were floating in the clouds and he was the one keeping you grounded. You were perfect together. A perfect fit...

"It's great," she sighed happily, "It's just what I imagined." She grinned looking down fondly at her ring, the diamond from her engagement glistening in the overhead light shining onto the wedding band that had joined it. "So, what about you and Steve? With the way he's looking at you, you'd think he was on he was on his way to propose," she said leaning back into the bench watching the flowers sway in the light breeze.  

It was lucky she wasn't watching you or she'd seen your face awash with shock. You swallowed deeply reminding yourself that she was only seeing the acting you did and was drawing conclusions from that. "I don't think so," you laughed forcefully, "We're not at that stage yet." You weren't anywhere near it.

"Whatever you say, sis. You haven't seen him. He's completely enthralled by you." She squeezed your thigh before standing up, "Ah, I can't hide out here forever. Still haven't talked to aunt Bridget yet," she grimaced before leaving you to your thoughts.

***

Weddings are always crazy. Well, at least they are when there's a free bar. It didn't take long for you to get absolutely hammered and given the opportunity you readily took it. The talk with your sister had really confused you and what was better than alcohol to fix it? You poured whatever you found into your mouth and your mind was pleasantly buzzing.

"Steve, come dance," all thoughts of earlier had left your mind and all you knew was that you wanted to be near Steve. Consequences could be dealt with tomorrow. It seemed Steve was just as drunk as you were so he happily followed you, moving his body along with yours. The hesitation from earlier had washed away as he replaced his blood with alcohol. He placed his hands on your waist as you let yours rest on his shoulders. With a quick look into his eyes, you turned letting Steve's hands pull you flush against him. It took a second for him to move but once he did, his body was flush against yours.

You let your hips grind into his provocatively almost whining when he pulled you back around. "Don't start something you can't finish." He had a dark look in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" you smirked widening your eyes naïvely.

"You know what I mean," he almost growled making your knees weak, "I'm not gonna fuck you while your family is here and I don't want our first time to be a quickie in the bathroom."

Shit. Just the thought of sneaking away to the bathroom had you clenching your thighs. Steve not bothering to fully remove his pants and your dress bunched up over your waist as he fucked you on the sink. The thought was more than appealing.

"Are you sure?" You stopped inches away from his face, looking coyly into his eyes. "I think that would be fun." Steve's breath quickened as you leant closer, only a hair away from his lips.

"Damn it," he mumbled before closing the distance, hands gripping your waist tightly. His lips met yours in a fiery, teeth-clashing kiss that sent fire through your veins, tongue licking into your mouth sensually. It was only when you were both in need of oxygen that you stepped away, his forehead resting on yours as you panted for air. The realisation of what had just happened slowly set in and with wide eyes Steve looked at you as he took a step back, "Y/N, I..."

The move sent hurt pulsing through your body. Did he regret it?

"Y/N!" You loved your sister but damn if you didn't want to hit her for ruining the moment, "You need to come here!" She grabbed your hand pulling you with her before you could have any say in it. You glanced back at Steve, panic clear in your face but he had already disappeared into the moving crowd.  

Fuck. He definitely did.

"Sister shots," she squealed handing you two shot glasses. You glanced dejectedly at them before shrugging. This night was already ruined, the alcohol would only help you forget what a fucking idiot you were.

"Let's do another!" you cheered after pouring the burning liquor into your mouth. An idea that your sister was all for.

"Hell yeah!"

***

Birds were certainly not chirping as you woke up; it was more like a loud pounding that felt like someone was hammering away at your brain.

"God," you groaned, a hand shielding your eyes from the light coming in from the window. You never should have drunk that much. You couldn't even remember how you got home and with bleary eyes, you looked for your phone.

_13.25 AM._

_3 missed calls from Steve and 5 unopened messages from Nina._

Speaking of Steve, where was he? Probably downstairs. Was he the one who brought you home last night? Did he help you out of your dress and into your pyjamas? You frowned trying to remember sort through your memories from last night but it only caused your head to pound even more.

Okay, change of plans. Ibuprofen and some water were priority number one and then you could start to sort out your night.

Hair sticking up in every direction and with mascara smeared under your eyes, you made your way downstairs. Luckily, it wasn't the first time Steve had seen you hungover or you would be mortified to show yourself. The first it happened you were so embarrassed that you nearly didn't show your face to him for two weeks until he showed up at your apartment with puppy dog eyes and Indian take-out asking if he did something wrong. You could only resist for so long and ended up inviting him inside, and because he is Steve he managed to get the truth out of you and reassured you repeatedly that he always thought you looked beautiful even with a hangover.

He was too sweet. The thought sent a weird feeling into your stomach, adding to how nauseous you already felt, your heart pounding achingly. You frowned but shrugged it off after a second, it was probably just repercussions from drinking too much last night.

The stairs creaked slightly as you made your way down into the kitchen, a sweet aroma of coffee meeting you. "Morning, darling," your father said from the kitchen table as he sipped his own coffee and read the newspaper. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," you responded going straight for the coffee and pouring yourself a heartily amount. "Ahh," you sighed as you let the hot liquid pour down your throat, already feeling a lot more energised. "Where's Steve?" you asked searching for the painkillers.

"He went for a run. I don't get how he's got the energy. It's enviable," he shook his head, a smile falling on his face as he watched you take a seat on the counter. It reminded him of the times when you still lived under this roof, and as much as he missed it, watching you all grown, striding forward in life and with a great man by your side, made him very proud.

"He's crazy," you agreed, pausing to glance at the time. "He better be back soon. We're leaving in two hours." It was a bittersweet feeling. On one hand, you longed to get home, missing the feel of your own bed and the batshit redhead that constantly crashed your place. Speaking of her, you had to scold her when you got home. Unknown to you she managed to sneak in the lacy underwear in the bottom of your suitcase that you found on accident, hiding it immediately, a bright flush on your face as you imagined what Steve would think of it.  _(You would never mention to her that you wore it under your bridesmaid dress. She would get too smug)_. On the other hand, you wanted to stay here forever, live in a bubble where you and Steve were happily together and could not be better. "Well," you sighed gulping down the last coffee and hopping off the counter, "I'm gonna get a head start on that."

You trudged up the stairs again and into your room. You glanced around the room, trying to take in the little details that your teenager self had thought of. The pictures from prom on the wall next to your cringy phases. The books that you read over and over again on the bookshelf. Your posters of celebrities that you loved. It brought back so many memories of a time you had forgotten.

_Ping!_

__Nina: Are you alive?_ _

You gasped as your phone brought you back to reality and you remembered all the messages from your sister. You pressed open on them as you took a seat on the bed.

_Nina: How are you feeling, you little alcoholic? Remember anything from last night?_

You groaned as memories of you dancing on the bar and doing shots with Nina sprung into your head.  So that was why you couldn't remember much.

_Y/N: I'm fine. I only remember the good bits haha_

_Nina: You and Steve certainly went at it with that steamy kiss 🙈. I want to burn my eyes_

What? You and Steve didn't kiss... did you? 

You set the phone down, thoughts spinning through your head. Did you really? Is that why he wasn't there when you woke up?

"Oh my God," you breathed out. He was avoiding you. An almost throbbing hurt set in your chest, and for a moment it hurt to breathe as the realisation set in.  

He regretted it.

"Breathe," you whispered to yourself as you sunk further into the feeling.

_In. Out. In. Out._

It was clear as day now. Steve didn't and would never like you. This was all for show. You breathed out. Time to put an end to this. With renewed energy, you began packing your stuff, stuffing the beginning feelings of heartbreak away. 

You could deal with that later.

***

"Promise you'll come back soon," your mother said as she hugged you extra tightly.

"I promise," you felt tears welling up in your eyes as your dad engulfed you in a warm hug. You wanted nothing more than to reveal that everything had been a lie and just let your dad's words of wisdom calm you but this was your fault and you had to deal with it yourself.

Steve grabbed your hand on the way, not noticing how you nearly tore it away. He had no clue. Probably thought you had forgotten it. Well, that's what you had told him at least, that most of the night was gone when he began asking. You didn't want to hear him let you down sympathetically. That was too much to deal with and you definitely didn't want to sob in front of him.

Ryan and Nina drove with you to the airport, a flight to Bali waiting for them.

"I'm gonna miss you so much," you whispered into your sister's hair as you hugged her tightly, Steve and Ryan conversing next to you about their plans in Bali.

"I'll miss you too," she said tears brimming in her eyes. "I'm so glad you managed to be here even with work and everything."

"Anything for you sis," you said hugging her again, "Promise you'll call if you end up pregnant?"

"Y/N!" she swatted your arm in horror to which you only laughed, wiggling your eyebrows. She sighed after a moment, "I promise..." Even louder laughter left your lips as she resigned herself, joining your laughter.

"I'm truly happy you found Ryan. You make a great pair," you told her with a smile after the laughter died down.

"So do you and Steve," she smiled widely. "I was worried for a second that you were gonna end up alone," she teased, hand squeezing your arm. You smiled back, hoping she didn't notice how forced your smile was.

"Yeah..." Luckily Ryan cut in before you risked telling her everything and breaking down in her arms.  

“Well, we gotta go now. Don’t want to miss our flight,” Ryan said with a smile after glancing at the clock. “Please come visit again soon!” 

"Of course! Have fun on your honeymoon," you said hugging them goodbye.

"Oh, we will," Nina winked as they walked towards their gate, Ryans embarrassed groan reaching your ears.

An awkward air fell over you and Steve as they walked away. The two of you stood staring at their backs for a moment, neither of you speaking. "Well... We better get to our gate too," you said grabbing your suitcase and walking off, not waiting to see if Steve followed. You could barely bear to look at him without wanting to break into sobs and having to be confined with him for hours on the plane was definitely going to kill you.

"Sure," Steve answered following you slightly lost as to why you were acting so strange. All he could think of was your lips pressed against his and how much he wanted to do it again. He couldn't get the sight of you in that dress or the feel of your body pressed against his out of his mind. You were driving him absolutely crazy and the worst part was you didn't remember it at all. It was a drunken mistake. 

And with this trip being over, he would never get the change to tell you how he felt. You were probably not even acting strange but just how you would have before this fake-dating-thing but he had already normalised the feeling of your hand in his and the smile on your face when he pressed a kiss to your cheek.

He needed to move on.

***

Two weeks.

Two weeks had gone by and you were still sulking in your apartment. Two weeks of eating your weight in ice cream and watching romantic movies whilst you sobbed. Two weeks of trying to get over your heartbreak as you avoided Steve.

It still wasn't enough time.

Natasha had come by, her eyes softening as you watched how much a mess you were and she listened to your sob story with care and long hugs afterwards. She didn't berate you for avoiding Steve, knowing that space was healthy too, even if she thought you both were idiots. You poured all you had into your work, making great progress and feeling the hurt less when your body was practically begging for sleep at the end of the day.

But after almost three weeks Natasha decided enough was enough. The crush she thought you had on Steve certainly wasn't that - you loved the damn guy and she would be damned if your sulking was going to be in the way of you and him.

That's why she called up Bucky and after listening to him describing Steve in the exact same dilemma, she set a plan in action.

First step: Get you dolled up.

"Nat, I'm not really feeling it tonight. I have work to do, can't we do this another day?" You asked her following her into your bedroom, watching as she began looking through your clothes.

"No, we cannot. I’ve barely seen you all month because you were too busy with work. You can take one afternoon off." She threw a blouse and some black pants at you that you barely managed to catch before they hit you in the face. "Put that on."

When she was in that mood it was impossible to deny her, and as little, as you wanted to admit it, she was right. It wouldn't hurt to take one afternoon off. Perhaps you would see Steve?

No. You stopped yourself immediately even if your heart fluttered at the thought of him. You didn't need to ruin Natasha's night with your depressing feelings. You shook the remains of Steve away as you slipped the clothes on along with the shoes she had found. After a bit of makeup and fighting to make your hair look decent, she finally was satisfied.

"You look amazing!" she smiled before looking at her watch. "It’s time. Come on!" She pushed a jacket into your hands before shooing you out the door and into a cab.

"Where are we even going?" You asked her but she only smiled secretly, whispering a location to the driver in front. Guess you wouldn't know until she decided to tell. With a sigh, you leaned back into the seat, watching the bustling city through the window. 

***

Around the same time that Natasha banged on your door, so did Bucky at Steve's.

"Steve, buddy, come on. Let me in!" Bucky continued pounding for a minute or two until the door was finally opened.

The sight that met him wasn't pretty. "Oh Steve," Bucky sighed. He had tried to come by many times before but Steve ignored him or told him to go away but enough was enough. He had only seen him once when he came along to the bar, a night that ended up with tears and Bucky having to drive a too drunk Steve home. "You look like a mess."

Steve was dressed in a dirty t-shirt with holes that had to be at least 5 years old and sweatpants that had seen better days. His hair flopped over his forehead and Bucky was certain that he hadn't showered in days.

"Jeez, thanks, Buck. Nice to see you too," Steve walked into the living room but let the door stay open. Bucky sighed but followed him inside, at least he wasn't pushing him away anymore.

"Steve, you gotta get your act together or else you won't get her back."

"She won't take me back no matter how I look, cause she never had me!" Steve turned around, fury burning in his eyes before he slumped over, " _I never had her_ ," he mumbled dejectedly. He was regretting letting Bucky know how much he loved you. 

No use in trying to get you back when it was his own fault for falling for you. You were way out of his league, he knew that, and that's why he stayed away even if his heart was yearning for you.

"That's bullshit," Bucky said matter of fact, "If you could just get your head out of your own ass for a second and stop wallowing in your feelings, you would know that she wants you as much as you do her. For god's sake, Steve, she loves you! Why do you think she chose you to be her 'fake' boyfriend? She could have chosen me but she didn't. She wanted  _you_ ," he emphasised, walking closer to Steve.

Steve's mind was whirling. Could Bucky be right? Did you have feelings for him, after all? He wanted so desperately to believe him but his hesitation still showed in his eyes.

Bucky had hoped it would be enough but he knew it would take a little extra push to get Steve to realise he needed to fight for you. Bucky's tone lowered as he looked Steve in the eyes, his arm resting on Steve's shoulder. "Natasha told me she thought you regretted agreeing to her idea." Natasha might kick him for telling Steve something she told him in confidence but he was willing to take it if it meant Steve and you would be happy again. Steve better appreciate what he did for him.

Steve stood still for a moment processing Bucky's words. You thought he regretted it. You actually thought he regretted it.

"I gotta go see her," Steve finally said after a few seconds. He ran to the door, shoving his feet into a pair of mismatched shoes, ripping a jacket on the hanger, almost out the door before Bucky stopped him.

"You wanna see her like that?" Steve slowly looked down realising how badly he looked, looking sheepishly back at Bucky as he closed the door again.

"A shower and some fresh clothes might be a good idea first," Steve said with a grin, Bucky's laughter following him into the shower.

***

"A park? Why are we here, Nat?"

"Just come on!" she grinned as she pulled you forward, still as tight-lipped as before. It was starting to get on your nerves. All you wanted was to be under a blanket on your couch watching some dumb movie but instead, you were trekking across a lamp-lit park with your best friend with absolutely no idea as to why.

"Nat," you groaned, ready to complain some more until lights caught your eyes. Fairy lights?

"Go ahead," she urged you pushing you towards the fairy lights.

You walked cautiously through the trees until you saw a blanket, a picnic basket... and was that Steve? He stood with his back to you and you were debating running away before he saw until he turned around.

"Y/N," he breathed. He was dressed in a blue sweater, dark pants and his favourite jacket. He looked handsome. "You're actually here," he whispered to himself as he walked closer.

You were unsure of what to do, so you stayed frozen to the spot. "What is going on?"

"I-uh," Steve rubbed his neck nervously, "I don't really know how to do this. Um...," he thought for a second before turning serious. "I miss you. We haven't seen each other in nearly three weeks - we didn't even text."

"Uh," you mumbled trying to think of some excuse but he beat you to it.

"It's my fault." You frowned confused as you tried to understand what he was saying. "I never should have said yes to being your fake boyfriend. It wasn't fair of me to do it when I was lying the entire time about being fine with it."

Ouch. You bit your lip as you tried to keep the tears in. He could just have said no if he hated it so much.

"I'm sorry Steve. I didn't know you felt that way... I-I'm gonna go," you mumbled turning on your heel.

Steve desperately reached out, grabbing your hand in his. "No, wait!" You looked down shocked at your hand in his before looking at his face. "Please," he begged.

You gestured for him to talk again, never able to say no to him. And you weren't gonna lie, you were slightly curious to hear what he had to say that made him look so desperate for you not to leave... that and the hand holding yours tightly still.

Steve sighed in relief when you agreed to hear him out.

"I wasn't fine with it because I wanted it to be for real. I want to be your  _real_ boyfriend. I don't want to hold your hand because we have to put on a show or kiss you because your family has to believe us. I want to do that and more simply because I want to," he paused for a second, his other hand coming up to caress your cheek, " _Because I love you._ "

You blinked, fearing you had heard him incorrectly. Fearing that your mind was playing tricks on you and that this was actually a dream. But as you felt the touch of his fingers on your skin you were reminded that this was real. That he was telling the truth.

Steve loved you.

The tears that you held back before fell freely as your emotions got the best of you. All your wallowing in the last weeks were forgotten, instantly erased by his words. This was too good to be true, but you didn't dare question it.

"Don't cry," Steve panicked, wiping the tears away with his fingers. Was Bucky wrong? Had he just made a fool of himself?

You laughed not bothering to explain before pulling him in for a long overdue kiss. Steve froze as your lips touched his before eagerly responding. His hands found your waist, pulling you close as he deepened the kiss with a swipe of his tongue against your lower lip. You gladly let him and all your hidden feelings were poured into one kiss, finally freeing yourselves from the weight of them.

"So... Does that mean that you love me too," Steve asked once the kiss slowed, forehead resting on yours as you caught your breaths.

You chuckled leaning away to look into his eyes, "Yes, you idiot. Of course, I love you, too."

A pure look of happiness came over his face at your words, and he grabbed your body, twirling you around as he laughed gleefully. "You love me, too!"

"Set me down, Steve," you squealed although you were laughing too. As he slowed to a stop and set you down on the ground, you pulled him close for a sweet kiss. No rush this time. It was slow and sweet, all your love poured into this kiss.

You pulled apart after a moment, just staring into each other's eyes, wondering how you managed to get your happy ending after all.

"I love you," Steve whispered, "despite the fact that you called me an idiot after I told you the first time." He grinned cheekily, dodging your arm as it went to slap his arm.

"I'm leaving," you told him with barely able to hold a straight face as a permanent grin resided on your face. 

"No, don't leave," he pouted, holding your hands even tighter. 

You sighed, "Only because you're too cute to leave alone."

"Yes!" he cheered pulling you in for a hug. "I really do love you, though," he whispered into your hair. You pulled back, adoration shining in your eyes, "I really do love you, too."

You shared another kiss before sitting down to enjoy the picnic that Natasha and Bucky had prepared. You owed them a huge favour for planning this out. You never would have guessed that having Steve as your fake boyfriend would mean that he would actually end up as your real one. Strange and at times dumb circumstances brought you together, apart and then together again. Although you would have preferred to not have gone through all the hardships, it was the reason for you and Steve being together in the end, and that made everything worth it.

All that really mattered was that you really loved him and he really loved you.


End file.
